Skip to main content
Staff Pick
Without Ever Reaching the Summit: A Journey

Without Ever Reaching the Summit: A Journey

Current price: $22.99
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2020
Publisher:
HarperOne
ISBN:
9780062978318
Pages:
160

Description

In this exquisitely written journal-turned-journey of self-discovery, international bestselling author Paolo Cognetti examines our universal desire for connection through a voyage in the Himalayas.

Why climb a mountain without ever reaching the summit?

In 2017, Paolo Cognetti returned to Nepal, not to conquer the mountains but to journey through the high valleys of the Dolpo with a copy of Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard in hand. Drawing on memories of his childhood in theAlps, Cognetti explored the roots of life in the mountains, truly getting to know the communities and the nature that forged this resilient, almost mythical region. 

Accompanying him was Remigio, a childhood friend who had never left the mountains of Italy, and Nicola, a painter he had recently met. Joined by a stalwart team of local sherpas, the trio started out in the remote Dolpo region of Nepal. From there, a journey of self-discovery shaped by illness, human connection, and empathy was born.

Without Ever Reaching the Summit features line illustrations drawn by the author.

About the Author

Paolo Cognetti is an Italian writer, novelist, and editor from Milan. He divides his time between the city and his cabin in the Italian Alps. He is the author of Without Ever Reaching the Top and The Eight Mountains, which was an international sensation and won Italy's Strega Prize and the French Prix Médicis étranger. 

Praise for Without Ever Reaching the Summit: A Journey

“Without Ever Reaching the Summit is an exquisite book by a writer of rare wisdom and grace… Mr. Cognetti reminds readers in need of healing that common miracles abound, even as the world falls to ruin. They exist beyond the mountains. We need not look up, but only within, to be free.”  — Wall Street Journal

“Armchair travelers with a spiritual bent will be riveted by Cognetti’s reflections.”
Publishers Weekly

“Of interest to fans of The Snow Leopard, and those fascinated by or interested in learning more about this geographical region of Nepal.”Library Journal